ceandall



(NO Model.)

A. DORN 8: C. M. CRANDALL.

. DoLL HOUSE, am.' No. 243,873. Patented July 5, 1881.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST DORN, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, AND CHARLES M. ORANDALL, OF MONTROSE, PENNSYLVANIA; SAID DORN ASSIGNOR TO SAID ORANDALL, WM. R. BEOKWITH, AND FREDERICK W. CRANDALL, OF MONTROSE, PA.

DOLL-HOUSE, v34.0.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,873, dated July 5, 1881.

' Application filed May 17, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, AUGUST DORN, of the city of Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, and CHARLES M. GEANDALL, of

Montrose, in the county of Susquehanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Doll-Houses, Smc. 5 and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the 1o same, reference being had to the accompany-y ing drawings, making part of this specification.

This invention is in the nature of an improvement in adjustable doll-houses and furniture; andthe invention consists in an adjustable doll-house and similar toys constructed with hinged sides, back, and root', whereby these several parts, when folded, and the floor of the house, Snc., form a box to cont-ain the 2o furniture and other articles placed within it, all constructed, arranged, and combined in the manner hereinafter more particularly described.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Fig- 2 5 ure l represents a perspective view of our dollhouse in the unfolded position, as when in use Fig. 2, a perspective view of saine when folded together; and Fig. 3, a longitudinal section of the folded house, showing furniture packed 3o within same. f

Similarletters of refereuceindicatelike parts iu the several figures.

In the doll-houses heretofore made their bulk rendered them objectionable for the purpose of 3 5 packing and shipping, and the cost of freight added materially to their expense. By our invention, however, the house, when prepared for packing and shipping, is reduced to the smallest possible compass, and it forms a box 4o or case to contain the furniture with which the house is furnished.

To that end we construct the house with a floor, A, of any suitable size. At right angles to the upper surface of this floor are permanently xed the lower portions, a, b, and o, of the sides and back of the house. To these iixed portions of the sides and back are respectively secured, by hinges d, the upper sections of the sides and back B, C, and D. To the upper edge of the back, D, is hinged a 5o sectional roof, E.y rlhis root' is formed substantially of two pieces of wood, c andf, joined at their edges atright angles, so that when the front section, c, rests upon the sections B and G of the sides it forms, to some extent, a peaked roof, as is shown in Fig. 1. The house may be provided with two or more windows, g and h, and a removable chimney, k, may be fitted to the roof, it' desired. A

Now, our house, when in the position just 6o described, and as is shown in Fig. l, with its furniture displayed upon its oor, is the semblance of a completed and furnished house, and can be played with as such; but when it is desired to pack the house and its furniture for shipment, or so that it will occupy the least possible space, the furniture is laid compactly on the floor A, the hinged sections B and O ofthe walls are turned down and inward, and the hinged section D of the back is likewise 7o folded down until it rests on the fixed walls a b, forming the top, and the roof folds down, inclosing and forming the edge of what, in this way, becomes substantially a box, within which all of the furniture and the chimney lo, which has been removed for that purpose', are placed. When the house is in this folded position it becomes a neat box, of inconsiderable size, which may be then shipped and packed, by the dozen, in a comparatively small space 8o and without much risk of breakage.

When the walls and back are raised to form the house, spring-clamps c' or similar devices may be employed to keep the several parts in position. 8 5

Itis obvious thatour invention applies equal 1y well to toy stables, cupboards, dressers, and

sideboards, and other toy articles of manufacture.

Having thus described our invention, what 5 We claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1.' In a toy house, 85e., sections thereof hinged, whereby the house may be folded into box form, and contain the furniture therein, 1o substantially as and for the purpose described. 2. In a toy house, &c., hinged sides B O, back D, and roof E, in combination with spring-catches, whereby the several sections may be held in position, substantially as described.

AUGUST DOEN. CHARLES M. CRANDALL. Witnesses as to signature of Charles M. Crandall:

A. D. BIRCHARD, J. D. DRINKER, Jr. Vitnesses as to signature of August Dorn:

H. L. WATTENBERG, G. M. PLYMPTON. 

